


Camisado

by kanekiki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, M/M, basically the whole enstars cast, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-10-16 07:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10566597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanekiki/pseuds/kanekiki
Summary: The trouble he always throws himself into happens to be at this very moment.





	1. Salvation

**Author's Note:**

> ca•mi•sa•do: noun, a military attack made at night.

Mao remembers it only vaguely.

When he tries to think of what life was like in his childhood and early teens, he remembers it as being simple and carefree. His memory may be bad, since it feels like it was a long time ago, but he remembers a few important details.

He can recall the faint sound of piano keys, the scent of playing outside on a cloudy day before rain, and a blossoming, young friendship. He remembers the first feeling of true terror, and pure heartbreak at a young age as well.

Mao, and his family, was devastated when the neighbor’s kids were found by locals, dead in the forest near their adjacent houses, face down with puncture wounds to the neck. The causes of death were determined to be vampires.

This was the first reported incident in their small but heavily populated city, rumors of an epidemic spreading out of nowhere from all over the country, the stories of vampires were believed to be stories until they actually started happening more and more.

The parents disappeared without a trace from the neighborhood and probably the city, respectively, after the children’s joint funeral. That was the prelude of the war, right before life wasn’t quite the same anymore.

It didn’t happen right away, but when more and more incidents were happening with no traces left, Mao remembers his parents afraid and overly protective over his little sister, and he couldn’t blame them when they didn’t even want her to leave the house. His parents had every right to fear, it could have been their kids. Mao also remembers to this day, he’ll never forget, it could’ve been him instead of them.

It’s a thought that has stuck with him, ingrained into his mind, especially when he watched the city where he grew up gradually deteriorate and fall apart, becoming desolate and abandoned, due to the plague of vampires, of all possible things.

People began turning up dead in broad daylight on the street, their necks the telltale sign, it was always vampires. It didn’t surprise him when the city became isolated from what seemed to be the rest of the world, like they were trapped under a dome with the option to leave.

Nearly everyone did end up leaving. A new system was set up, some people moved in—more like an army: with a newly built and huge facility, a counteractive against the vampires, designed to keep them here in this sacrificed area that is now considered a hell-hole and not allowing them to spread elsewhere.

The people here spend all their time baiting vampires, capturing them and keeping them prisoners or subjecting the cooperative ones to research or just plain beheading them and burning them at the stake if necessary. It’s basically like a government job.

All that was required to join these people, a force that called themselves the _council,_ was a simple program course after high school, teaching the basics of vampires, basic survival skills, physical training, weapon training and what they called _slaying 101._

When his parents bought a new house in another far away place, he made his decision, even though it hurt the most; that it meant being separated from his little sister. He decided to join before his parents left, a year before he graduated, where he lived alone and studied on his own for a year.

It’s not like he had any other plans after high school, besides trying to live a normal life and make an honest living. He didn’t feel alone; however, not like the town had many people anyway with his graduating class was him and two other people, but it never bothered him being alone for the most part.

To this day he’s not even sure why he made the decision to stay. Maybe it was to avenge his childhood friend from the past, maybe it was because he’s always had the worst habit of throwing himself into trouble.

He definitely doesn’t consider himself a martyr, but he’s here and made an oath to save and protect what’s left, and it’s always been one of his flaws to help out anyone in need.

\---

The trouble he always throws himself into happens to be at this very moment.

Mao is trapped in the middle of an alley. His gun points to a vampire’s head and the vampire’s fangs are beginning to dig deeper and deeper into his neck.

It’s a standoff—not the first time he’s ever had to deal with a vampire but it is the first time it’s life or death. Usually he isn’t alone like he is now, and usually the vampires are already disabled by the time he gets to them.

He’s considered himself lucky up until this point, never actually having to face one, one on one. Even if this is the first vampire that has cornered him like this, it’s also the first time he’s ever hesitated and he has no idea why. He thinks, he learned about this, trained to kill, and is in a good position right now to do it. He can’t help but to think he fucked up.

He didn’t even think he stumbled onto a vampire at first, just thought it was a pile of clothes or something in a dark alleyway—even though it is sundown and he curses himself for knowing better but still falling for it— and right from the start he was thrown off guard to find out it was a vampire sleeping, curled up in a ball, startled and now wide awake.

His fangs press into Mao’s neck, not actually puncturing the skin, and it adds another reason why something feels really off about all this. The vampire won’t bite him, and Mao doesn’t have the slightest clue of how a vampire thinks. Maybe the vampire is thinking the same thing as him—it’s an honest standoff, first to move dies.

Well, not like a bullet through the head will kill a vampire, but will disable them for a while, and if the vampire is found disabled and Mao is found dead with puncture wounds, blood drained on the cold ground next to the passed out vampire, it’s pretty much the same as a death sentence.

Mao’s best bet is to just pull the trigger and hope for the best, but since the fangs are already to his neck the vampire would end up involuntarily biting down and— _fuck._ He’s really not afraid to die at this point, but he just can’t do it, can’t end this. He really still is a coward after all this time.

Time stands still, like they’re both frozen to each other’s next move, neither of them budges a single bit. Mao has stopped breathing this whole time, he’s surprised he’s not trembling at all—he’s sure it’s from the shock of it all, too stunned to react.

This is an instant homicide-suicide, or double homicide, however it turns out. Either way they’re both dead.

Mao wasn’t sure he could even go into shock harder than this, but he does the second the vampire retracts his fangs, still not even moving a muscle.

“What’s your name.” His voice is barely above a whisper; Mao can feel the words breathed against his neck.

“M-Ma… Mao.” He’s compelled to answer anyway, fight or flight senses kicking in, he’s terrified and wishes he could hide the shaking in the sound of his voice.

“Maa~kun.”

Mao feels his blood run cold, a chill running down and back up his spine, along with an acute, stifling fear washing over him whole. The nickname, the vampire can taste his fear and is just fucking with him now. Or maybe Mao is just hallucinating or already dead, but there is _no way, no way—_

The vampire pulls back, and stares at Mao, dark red eyes searching into his and Mao is still frozen and can’t move, he can’t believe what is happening. The vampire, side of his face illuminated by the moonlight, scrutinizes him, staring him right in the face, totally unaffected by the gun pointed to his temple.

“Let’s call a truce.”

“…Huh?” His whole body stiffens, and it’s the only response Mao can come up with, voice sounding overly strained, as if he still has lethal fangs pointed at his neck.

“I’m too tired and hungry for this. You’re the one who came to my nap spot, you know.” The vampire’s tone is so dismissive that Mao has to stop himself from asking him to repeat what he just said, _there is no way…_

The vampire continues to stare at him through half-lidded eyes, completely backed away now, Mao’s arm goes limp and his gun is now pointed to the ground instead. “You’re…” Mao really doesn’t understand.

The vampire, however, seems that he’s made up his mind to end this and leave it at that.

He yawns, scratches the back of his head and just blinks at Mao. Mao opens his mouth to say something, too confused, practically thrown off balance from how off-guard he is, and still dealing with the shock of everything, he can’t even process a question to ask as to why he’s being spared—or why he’s sparing the vampire’s life. This could also be some kind of trap as far as he knows.

So he doesn’t question it, he turns around and bolts out of the alleyway as fast as his legs can take him.

\---

Mao doesn’t bring it up to anyone or even report the incident.

He doesn’t even tell his unit mates about what happened, even when they asked that night he came back to their shared base, the place they call home, it was still obvious how shaken up Mao was.

“Isara, you look like you saw a ghost, are you sure you’re alright?” Hokuto questions him seriously as Mao sits at the door unlacing his boots and he notices his fingers are still shaking. Hokuto obviously sees it as well, the concern is written all over his usually impassive face.

“Seriously, I’m fine. Just a little exhausted after a meaningless chase is all.~” He tries his absolute best to sound cheery, desperately trying to convince not only Hokuto, but also himself. He doesn’t think not telling them counts as lying—it is the truth for the most part, the whole ordeal was meaningless but still managed to drain him of all energy.

It doesn’t stop him from feeling guilty, even if it was a standoff, even if he could say that he didn’t have a choice but to let the vampire live, but he already knows that admitting it will cause more trouble that he seriously doesn’t want to get involved in—its best to just forget it happened.

“Sari, Sari, you know if there’s something wrong you can always count on us more!” Thankfully, Subaru always manages to brighten up a room with ease.

Hokuto sighs. “Can you stop shouting this late at night? But, for once, he’s right. We’re teammates, remember that.”

“Geez, and I thought I was the one who always worries about everyone… but I know. And thanks, but really, I’m fine. I’m just gonna go to sleep.”

Hokuto and Subaru simultaneously call out a “goodnight” and Mao shakes his head while smiling, dragging his feet towards his room. Their words calmed him down a bit, reassured he’ll always have them on his side.

He would never forget that they’re teammates, he’s thankful for them, he’d even offer his life if it meant protecting them, gladly, in a heartbeat. But this is something he has to deal with on his own, a mistake he made on his own and he doesn’t really have the option to burden others with it.

He stands a little too long, thinking probably too in depth about it while in the shower. He scrubs at his skin a little too hard, wondering why it’s bothering him so much, just the thought of the vampire from earlier. It really is best to forget about it, it’s really what he should do, but he still feels uncomfortable.

He dries his hair, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and _damn_ , he’s still pale, he can see why Hokuto and Subaru were so worried. He inhales, exhales, he should feel better once he sleeps it off, probably just the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

He’s torn between his morality, duty or his cowardice, he’d rather blame it on the former. He checks his neck, holding his hair up on the side.

Even though there aren’t any marks, if he looks close enough he can still see the indents. He tries to rub them away with his finger, hoping he’ll forget about it soon.

\---

Forgetting about it is easier said than done, and he thinks the vampire might have put a curse on him or something. He thinks about all he’s learned about the black magic of vampires in lessons, he knows they can’t really do anything without blood involved, but it still doesn’t put him at ease.

He walks down a long corridor, heavily bordered off from the rest of the facility, so silent he can hear only his own footsteps. If there’s one person that could maybe help him at least give him a rational peace of mind, it’s Keito.

The vice president of the council, he’s in his office as always, probably busy, but Mao knows he’s always welcome. He wouldn’t consider Keito and him to be close like friends, but they do have a lot in common and Keito is also reliable. He also doesn’t get really well along with others, but Mao knows how to talk to him.

He knocks twice before hearing _“come in,”_ in a monotone voice. Keito is at his desk with piles of paperwork, per usual.

“I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“It’s fine, you know, I did tell you to come speak directly to me at times.” Keito raises an expectant eyebrow.

“It’s really not that important, but I was wondering if there was ever a case reported of being spared by a vampire.” Mao asks trying to sound nonchalantly as possible. He knows Keito has always had an appreciation of Mao’s hardworking nature and motivation to learn, as he was his mentor at one point, and knows he likes talking hypotheticals, so Mao is sure Keito wouldn’t be suspicious.

He doesn’t know why he’s even asking Keito, though, when he knows the answer.

“Don’t tell me you were spared by one.”

“It’s not that…” Mao lies straight through his teeth, but truly, he wants to know if it ever happened before and reported, he wants to be reassured that he isn’t the only one.

”Reported, no.” Keito gives him another incredulous look, obviously still suspicious.

“So not reported, but it has happened, you think? We’re you spared by one before?”

“I would never allow myself to get cornered and let it get that far in the first place. And I’d expect the same thing from you, Isara.” He scolds, eyes narrowing sharply as he studies Mao. _Ah, well, shit_.

Keito sighs. “I don’t want to sound harsh. I know how hard you work, and I’m only hard on you because I don’t want that to happen. I don’t even like talking about it, or thinking about being cornered by one of those monsters. They’ll kill you in an instant without remorse.”

Mao forces himself to nod, he wants to argue back talking about… but he can’t, he doesn’t want to worry Keito about this, when Keito already has so much on his plate. He’ll handle it himself.

“I hope that answered your question.” Keito dismisses him, turning back to his endless stack of papers.

“It did, thanks.” Mao leaves Keito alone. It doesn’t make him feel better, really, it makes him feel worse knowing that Keito worries about him. He’s not in the place to complain about how bothered he is—he hasn’t been in the field for that long, only for a few months, but before he was doing the same thing Keito does, practically under Keito, so he knows how stressful it can get, and he surely doesn’t miss it.

Keito did entrust this job to him, appointing him to be a slayer in these desperate times, so Mao has to make sure to be careful from now on, and he’s not the type to make the same mistake twice.

He doesn’t know where he’s going when he leaves Keito’s office, as it’s his day off and he has nothing better to do. He walks halfway across the facility, considers going out in the city to clear his mind, but he ends up out front of Makoto’s room.

“Yo, Makoto.” He calls as he enters, Makoto is leaning on an autopsy table, tapping away on his phone. Makoto looks up and smiles.

“Isara-kun, hey. What are you up to?”

“I was wondering the same thing about you, have you been busy?” Mao works under Makoto, technically, he’s head of the research department. Mao brings him all of the disabled vampires he catches, but they go way back, they used to work with each other every day. Even if they don’t see each other like they used to, Mao considers them to be close, he trusts Makoto.

“Nah, not really. It’s been slow recently, ah, not that I’m complaining or anything.”

“I see.” Mao laughs, tapping at the screen of Makoto’s phone. “But, I did want to ask you about something.”

“What is it?”

A while back, Mao would have been hesitant about asking Makoto anything about vampires on account of how jumpy he used to be at the topic alone, but Makoto’s come a long way since then.

“Vampires can’t read minds, right?” The teasing lilt of _Maa~kun_ still burns his ears when he thinks about it, and if anyone knows about the anatomy of vampires and what they can and cannot do, it’s Makoto.

“Ah, no… at least as far as I know. They can easily sense emotions through the scent of humans but they can’t read minds. That’s actually terrifying, now that I think about it. Sounds like something out of a horror game.” Makoto laughs, a little bit of nervousness laced in it.

“You don’t gotta tell me about it…” Mao sighs with the shake of his head. Terrifying is an understatement.

\---

When he decides that enough is enough and he needs an answer, so he can stop letting it gnaw at his conscious, Mao finds himself out on a vampire hunt.

It’s sundown block sweep, and their unit’s turn to shift for the night. Block sweeps are usually easy but take a while, they spend the night searching every crevice at the border of the city, the crossing line where the vampires tend to stay away from, unless they’re starving and looking for humans.

He wanted to bite his tongue so badly when he suggested that he, Subaru and Hokuto should split up in order to search more ground and get the search down faster, knowing damn well he wants to find the vampire from last week one on one.

They agreed, of course, and they’re off, leaving Mao to stalk through empty streets. He definitely doesn’t check the spot he saw that vampire last time first, and he really doesn’t admit that he’s still diligently looking for him, while staying alert to whoever else may be lurking in the area.

He walks and walks, it’s a really quiet night, almost peaceful, not considering… _everything._ He kind of misses peaceful nights like this, not too hot out even though it’s summer, not too dark outside but dark enough to where the streetlights are lit up on nearly every corner. It’s way different now than what it used to be. This place always used to be filled with people, enjoying their lives.

When he looks up and sees a lamppost flickering, near a known dead-end alleyway, he considers it some kind of sign and heads straight to it.

He finds him in the same position Mao found him last time.

But this time, even though he picks his head up at the sound of Mao’s footsteps on the concrete, the vampire just curls up into a ball, not even attempting to attack Mao.

“Hey, vampire.” Mao nudges the tip of his steel-toed boot against his shin.

The vampire’s eyes shut tighter and he grimaces, before half-whining half-yawning. “Ten… more minutes.” He stirs a little bit while sounding petulant.

Mao can’t believe he’s just laying here, not doing anything, like he doesn’t care in the slightest bit. Like he doesn’t fear Mao at all. “I don’t have time for this…” He sighs and nudges him with more force, actually considering kicking him, trying to turn him over so the vampire can face him. “What are you even doing out here.”

“It’s better than the mansion.” He pouts, eyes still closed. He really sounds petulant and whines a lot, like a child, maybe he is a child, but that can’t be; he looks to be in his early adult stages. He huffs again, obviously upset about being bothered, as if that excuse justifies why he’s out in the open like this, like he’s trying to be captured or slayed or found.

Mao doesn’t even know what the “mansion” is, he won’t even question it because he’s only here for one answer to one question. “Yeah, well why don’t you stay closer to your side, you’re awfully close to our side of the city, I mean, unless you have a deathwish.”

“Anywhere farther away from Anija is better.” The vampire sits up slowly and stretches his arms out above his head. “You nag a~ _lot.”_ He blinks, sleepily, and Mao notices how heavy the vampire’s eyes are, dark and puffy lids and underneath, nearly covering all traces of red. Maybe he’s already sick and dying or something—a question he reminds himself to ask Makoto, if vampires can get illnesses.

“You’re making my job so much harder.” Mao mutters to himself, knowing that the vampire has no reason to care about his problems, even though the vampire himself is the main cause of all of them right now.

Mao thinks, if he moves quickly enough, it’d be too easy to capture him right now. A voice in the back of his head tells him it’s a bad idea at this point—the vampire could snitch on him and the council believing him over Mao is nearly impossible and the most unlikely outcome, a 99.9% chance it wouldn’t happen, but he doesn’t want to take that risk even if it is minuscule.

He could also kill the vampire right now, let it end here and he can forget about this past week for the rest of his life, never having to stay up at night thinking about it again, but—

“Why did you let me go the other night.”

The vampire shrugs. “Maa~kun sure asks a lot of questions… noisy and nags a lot.”

_That nickname again, why—_

“You have ten seconds before I kill you.”

“Oh? You want to kill me?”

The vampire is too fast, Mao didn’t even see him move, he didn’t even anticipate a quick reaction like this, let alone the vampire now standing behind him.

But like a shadow, and not even in a second, the vampire has one arm wrapped around Mao’s torso in a steel grip, nearly squeezing the breath out of him, painfully sharp claws digging into his side. The other hand wraps around the front of Mao’s throat, tilting his head up and holding him still.

 _God damn it he really wasn’t trained for this shit_ , he’s almost positive he can’t get out of a vice-like grip like this, but he knows vampires aren’t usually this abnormally strong, unless they usually feed fresh blood from humans.

Even though the mere thought of that realization sends a chill down his spine, he doesn’t panic this time. Already having one scare with this vampire, he’s calm now. As stupid as it sounds he still has hope, calculating his next move and trying to time it perfectly to end this.

“What’s your name?” Mao whispers, almost praying to a higher power that this works.

He feels the vampire tense against his back. “Why are you asking.”

It’s not a question and more like a demand, the vampire’s voice is lower and colder than he’s ever heard yet. It’s actually frightening to hear it, compared to the way he slowly and languidly speaks.

Mao feels the bob of his throat as he swallows against the vampires palm, mouth feeling dry, maybe he fucked up for the last time if he’s finally pissed off the vampire, maybe he just should’ve kept his mouth shut and just killed him right then and there.

“It’s fair, isn’t it?”

“Ah… that’s cruel… using my own tricks on me,” He loosens his grip to the point where Mao can breathe again. “Ritsu. Are you really going to kill me even after I spared your life? That’s mean, yeah?”

“I spared your life too, don’t get cocky.”

“Nah, I would’ve gotten you first and you know it.” Mao shivers when he feels the vampire—Ritsu’s—teeth brush against the back of his neck when he speaks. “But if you say that you let me go, and now I’ll let you go this time, then that makes us even, right?”

Mao doesn’t respond at first, which only makes Ritsu drag his teeth up slowly to behind Mao’s ear. “I have the energy to spare this time, unlike last time. If you truly wish, I’d fight you one on one.”

Mao swallows again, cursing himself, the vampire can feel the bob of his throat again and now he’s shaking from adrenaline, it’s now or never—

“But just so you know… I feel every single one of your emotions coming from you. So, I don’t want to fight.”

Mao has no idea if that’s a good or bad thing, really. It must be bad, if it has to do with his stupid brain right now, every nerve in his body telling him not to kill the vampire and he doesn’t know _why_ —and that scares him the most out of all of this.

He knows it’s not in his nature to be that cruel. The vampire truly wasn’t harming anyone—at least at the moment, and never tried to attack Mao out of rage or bloodthirst once, only in self-defense the last time. Even if he is a blood-sucking monster… Mao hates himself in this very moment. He doesn’t have the heart to kill someone, not in the act of harming someone else, he really is a coward, and has no idea why, but he just _can’t._

Mao surrenders in the vampire’s hold. “Can you just promise to stay away from the border?”

“This whole area has been my spot for months now, and no one’s ever noticed me besides you.” He groans, doing that whining thing again.

Mao puts a hand on his machete holster at the side of his belt, not even bothering with the gun this time because this is the last time he will ever spare a vampire.

“Fine.” Ritsu sighs against his neck before letting Mao go, he backs up but stands in front of Mao now, face to face.

“Don’t mention this to anyone.”

“Demanding for someone who’s life I just spared…”

Mao feels as if a blood vessel is going to pop in his head if he continues this conversation any longer. He’s usually not the type to lose his patience, but this vampire is testing him, and doing a good job at irritating Mao.

“Va—Ritsu. Please. I’m asking because I really don’t want to do this again.” Unless he has to, that is. Ritsu grins and the corner of his eyes narrow, almost resembling a cat.

“You said please, you’re too kind to be a slayer.” He points out.

Mao can’t do anything but roll his eyes. “And you’re too lazy to be a savage, bloodthirsty monster, so I really guess were even.”

Mao earns a soft laugh from Ritsu, and Mao shuts his mouth quickly and indignantly, he really wasn’t trying to say anything funny.

“Fine, Maa~kun. You will never see me again, alright?” He yawns and with a delicate wave of his hand he vanishes from his feet to his dark colored hair, turning into a shadow.

Mao sighs. That guy makes absolutely no sense, if he can turn into a shadow then why— Maybe the vampire, Ritsu, actually wanted someone to find him, which is insane and not to mention suicidal. He really doesn’t seem like the type to have a deathwish.

Mao stops thinking about it. He didn’t get the answer he wanted, but at least he got some type of closure. It doesn’t stop him from feeling utterly defeated though, reflecting on how much of a pushover he truly is. It’s done and over with now, he tries to take solace in that.

Really though, all he can do is hope that the vampire is true to his word. Maybe he’s the one who's insane for letting a vampire go in the first place, let alone believing in one.

It goes against every single thing the council has taught him: _don’t trust them, they are heartless and ruthless savages, they won’t stop until they get the taste of blood, stop them at all costs._ It’s like he can hear Eichi’s voice repeating the drills into his head like a mantra.

For some reason, Mao feels disappointed. He hopes it’s because of the fact he didn’t kill the vampire and he’s upset with himself, rather than the fact he will never see the vampire again and get a true answer, as to why he feels this way.

\---

Mao finds himself alone, yet again, which is definitely the only time he gets himself into trouble, all the more reason why he needs to stop going off to places by himself, because right now he’s bleeding out on a sidewalk.

He ended up getting to a fight with two twin vampires, or he thinks they’re twins, at first he thought it was one person with the ability to split themselves in half.

He finds them as he turns a street corner, running headfirst into them, but prepared to fight. He chased them to a dead end alleyway, which probably was a mistake. _Why do these things always end up in the damn alleyways?!_ He should know this by now.

But it’s too late—when he corners them in, they cower in the corner, one huddling over the other one.

Mao almost feels bad; it looks like the one is trying to protect the other using his body as a shield. They’re siblings. Mao feels a pain in his chest, thinking of protecting his own little sister with his life, but he has to, none the less he squeezes the trigger of the gun.

Then they bolt, moving in tandem and confusingly. They’re fast—faster than Ritsu who can move like a shadow, faster than any vampire he’s ever seen before.

They jump from wall to wall, like acrobats, nimble while contorting their bodies. Mao shoots at them twice, misses, curses.

When he goes to chase after them on foot, pulling out his machete from its holster, since they’re obviously not going to cooperate and he has to take them down by force, one turns around and slices his leg, moving his arm with a whip-like motion.

Mao doesn’t really feel the pain of it, but can feel it start gushing blood, already pooling and pouring down his pant leg. Methodically, he sits on the ground, using a bandanna and wraps it tight around his leg to stop the bleeding, tying and pulling it tight with the long handle of his machete.

He catches his breath for a few seconds before standing, he’s been hurt a lot worse than this, had to do mock vampire chases with broken bones during training, courtesy of the Emperor of the council, so all that preparation makes this seem a flesh wound seem like nothing.

He won’t let these ones get away. He takes a few steps forward, out of the alleyway, then immediately stops.

He stops moving and breathing. Fear. Acute and stifling and nearly crippling, and it’s not because of his leg he can’t move.

It feels like he’s in a nightmare and the wind has been knocked out of him simultaneously, he’s never quite felt anything like this before in his life.

A tall vampire comes closer and closer to him. Those twins must have called for him. He’s absolutely terrifying with an overwhelming presence, Mao has learned in a lesson about these kind of rare vampires.

Among themselves, they are called the kings. They have beyond supernatural abilities, and can manipulate the space around them. This has to be one, a truly otherworldly being.

He gets closer, and Mao finds it even harder to breathe, like the air is scraping his throat to get into his lungs, feels like his limbs have turned to stone in place, and this is it. He’s more than likely going to die at this point.

The vampire is surrounded in a black and purple fog, and it looks like he’s levitating. Blood red and narrow eyes shimmer and are locked onto Mao’s, not allowing him to look anywhere else. The look of the vampire is alarmingly familiar, he feels like he’s seen the same shade of dark hair framing his face and red eyes before.

Mao closes his eyes, he can’t look anymore, and it’s starting to hurt.

_“Anija. He’s mine.”_

That voice, a smoky aura appears behind the tall vampire, challenging him with an animalistic growl.

Mao opens his eyes at the sound of his voice and he thinks, maybe today isn’t his day to die. With that slight comfort, he’s able to stop fighting and slip into unconsciousness.

The last thing he sees is Ritsu.


	2. Consolation

Mao sees him in his dreams, sometimes.

He knows it’s a dream because it’s always the same scene, the rest of the world blurred out and nonexistent except for _him_ , the constant reminder of what he’s fighting for.

They’re outside on a humid summer evening, surrounded by dark greens in a large backyard. The boy turns to face Mao with a small, mischievous smile and he holds his hands out in front of him. Loosely cupped in his hands is a single firefly.

Mao doesn’t know why the dream is always a memory of this night, of all things he could dream of.

_Look, it’s shining. It’s bright, just like Maa-kun._

And it’s the same as every time. He blushes and mumbles something he doesn’t quite remember under his breath, but whatever he said isn’t important to remember compared to the smile the boy gives him. A smile so wide he can see it clearly in the darkness, so innocent and full of life.

No… maybe he really is dead this time and this is what the afterlife consists of. He wouldn’t mind it if it was nothing but summer nights in his childhood in the neighbor boy’s back yard.

\- - -

He really never expected to open his eyes again when he closed them at that point. He was a goner, without a doubt, left unconscious around a group of vampires. He opens his eyes slowly, blinking, not able to focus on anything. He’s not sure what he’s done to deserve a second chance at life, and kind of wishes he was dead because of the way his head is pounding, pain shooting through his skull, only getting worse along with the quickening pace of his heartbeat that he can even feel in his ears.

There’s no way this is real.

He’s in a room.

Not outside or in a ditch or a grave, but a room. Under a warm blanket and in a large bed, someone’s bedroom, he guesses. The room is dark, dark walls, scarce furniture and it looks methodically clean but it is a room that he’s so far safe in.

The first thing he does is instinctively reach for his leg to check to see where it’s wrapped, wondering if he’s still bleeding out. It’s numb, and really warm to the touch, which doesn’t make sense if it’s numb from lack of blood circulation.

He discovers just from the feel that it’s not the bandanna, but a fresh, clean bandage wrapped tightly where the gash should be, and on top of that, the one leg of his pants are cut off way above the knee. He can breathe just a bit easier, knowing that it’s clean, but that’s the least of his worries.

He was saved, that much is clear.

Was he saved by those vampires? That’s impossible. Was he saved by a renegade or slayers from a different branch of the council before the vampires could capture him? No… if it was anyone related to the council they would have taken him to the main’s secured infirmary.

He’s ripped from his thoughts when his leg starts to ache along with everything else going on. He knows it was sliced deeply, but from the numb and warm feeling he would guess that the gash has been stitched.

He stretches his legs out, getting more uncomfortable by the second, and he swears he feels his heart stop beating, freezing in chest when his thigh nudges against something.  
He lifts the blanket up slowly, his hands shaking and curled up at the corner of the bed—he knows without even looking, it’s a cold body. It’s the vampire. Mao sits up quickly, his bangs falling over his eyes and he huffs, ripping the blanket off of the both of them.

It figures, Mao spots his hair clip, which is clutched tightly in Ritsu’s hand while he sleeps soundly, not startled in the slightest.

How did he not even feel another creature’s presence next to him when he woke up. How—why is he even here? This has to be where Ritsu lives, and he’s here and safe, with Ritsu—who is a vampire who not only tried to kill him once before, but twice. It’s the same vampire that Mao told to never show his face again.

He blinks, the room may be dimly lit but it’s still enough to make his head pound, the blood rushing in his ears so he opts to keep his eyes closed. Maybe when he opens them he’ll wake up in the true afterlife, or in his own room, which ever one—he doesn’t care just not here. He tries to breathe, calm himself down and tries to rationalize the situation he’s in.

His surroundings don’t help him at all. Worst of all, he has no recollection of anything after he passed out, where he could possibly be, how he can send for help. They probably took his phone and his weapons, it would be stupid for them not to and— _fuck_ , he got captured by vampires. Being captured by his enemies is the one and only thing that should never happen to a vampire slayer.

They’ll probably torture him in order to get information, and in those situations, the people who have been in the same position he’s in right now usually kill themselves after they suffer or before becoming a traitor.

Or, they won’t torture him, and he’ll be kept as a prisoner, a live stock of blood, which is torture as itself.

Or, the most unrealistic option—he can escape from here before they find out he’s conscious.

He might be stupid for assuming that he was safe, in any way.

Mao opens his eyes again; panic seeping into every nerve of his body, but yet again there’s something unexpected waiting for him.

The tall vampire stands at his bedside looking down at him with a soft smile. Mao didn’t even hear him enter, that means he must have just… materialized out of thin air—terrifying. Mao clutches his chest, absolutely terrified, and his body moves on its own, trying to throw himself from the bed. He probably would have screamed if he had the voice to do so right now.

He backs up as far as he can to the headboard of the bed, but the second he tries to move again, the whole room becomes engulfed with that same black fog, emitting from the unmoving tall vampire. Mao tries to hold his breath, he knows he can’t breathe this stuff in again, but he isn’t quick enough.

He feels sedated when he breathes, eyes narrowing, and the fist that was death-gripping on his own tee shirt opens. The fog, it’s without a doubt black magic, vampire magic that can only be performed by the most powerful vampires. He thinks, he’s screwed, if they can control him as simple as this—well at least he still has his own coherent thoughts.

“My apologies, it seemed to be that you were awake, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He pulls up a chair and sits at the bedside, close to Mao but not moving any closer. “Someone else also has an apology to offer…”

The two small, orange-haired young looking vampires appear from behind him, Mao recognizes them immediately, they’re the vampires he was chasing after cornering them. Huh, they really are twins and he wasn’t seeing double.

They step forward and immediately bow their heads deeply, both begging for forgiveness. The one with the pink hairpins steps closer first. “I’m sorry! I was the one who cut you, not my brother, he’s not responsible at all.”

The other one, the one with the blue hair clip steps forward, “Aniki, it was my fault you had to! Don’t apologize for me…” He sulks as he crosses his arms. “We’re sorry, thank you for letting us go.”

 _I didn’t let you go, he just got me first…_ Mao doesn’t dare to say it out loud, and he sure as hell isn’t going to mention it when he’s not in the position to at all.

Vampires are apologizing to him, all the more evidence that this isn’t real. He’s in a room, safe, with multiple vampires, and a vampire king, while having normal conversations with them instead of them tearing him apart limb from limb—it’s unbelievable.

The tall vampire smiles warmly, “They’re so protective of each other, my children take good care of and protect their own, I truly am proud.” He pats their heads, ruffling their hair a bit. These are… his children? If so, how many kids does this guy have? “You are dismissed. But, ah, could you please bring the spare things we have from the guest room to this room? I’d really appreciate it, if you could save these old bones the hassle of walking up all of those stairs.”

They simultaneously nod and run off.

“Please forgive them, they’re not quite used to the outside world yet, as the Aoi twins been here since I found them, abandoned. They frighten easily.”

Twins—that doesn’t sound right, Mao thinks, it’s known that vampire siblings are rare as it is, but twin vampires?

“Yes, they are brothers. Twins, at that—a commodity. It’s extremely rare, but they have been born with an unbreakable relationship. That’s why I sent them out to look for my dear Ritsu.” He closes his eyes solemnly and Mao still has no idea what is going on right now.

But he can’t bring himself to speak. He doesn’t know if it’s part of the black magic or if he’s still paralyzed with fear. He doesn’t feel scared right now, though. The tall vampire doesn’t seem to be a threat—yet. The sound of his voice, Mao notices, it doesn’t sound like it would belong to a creature like this. It’s deep, and has the same languid feel of Ritsu’s, but sounds more melodic, like a singing voice.

Soothing, maybe hypnotizing would be a better way to describe it, because he feels like he’s under a spell right now. It’s telling him to stay calm, and Mao doesn’t want to find out what would happen if he tried to act out against the silent order. He has no idea what this vampire is truly capable of, he’s seen what he can do, but he’s sure it was only a taste.

“You would have bled out to death. You had already passed out so it was only a matter of time, well… perhaps you wouldn’t have died right away, but we didn’t want to take any chances, for we do not take lives lightly. Ritsu… especially cares for yours.”

The first thing Mao could think of is why Ritsu would possibly value his life, does he plan on keeping Mao as a pet, or worse—a blood servant? He grimaces at the thought. The tall vampire sees it, a look of surprise hinting in his expression from Mao’s reaction.

“You feel… disgust? Has he harmed you? What exactly has he done to you?” The vampire looks genuinely concerned, eyes serious as they stare into Mao’s.

Mao forgot that they can read emotions effortlessly, or feelings or whatever. Mao doesn’t want to say anything but his red eyes are nearly piercing him, urging him to speak, by forcing the answer out of him. “I met him in the city. He tried to kill me, twice, we spared each other’s lives.” He notices how weak his voice sounds.

“I see, so that’s where he’s been hiding out. Tell me, perhaps, he was just toying with you. Did he hurt you?”

When he puts it like that, Ritsu could have just killed him, could have hurt him, or even bit him and drank from him—but didn’t. He was being played with, like a toy. Mao shakes his head. “He didn’t.”

The tall vampire hums, closing his eyes. “Ritsu carried you here, all the way to our residential nurse who treated your wounds. Ah, the nurse is a human, in case you were wondering.”

Mao glances down at the vampire still unbelievably asleep, sound and comfortably. He was the one who brought him here? Mao cringes when he thinks about all of the blood he lost, if the vampire had licked it clean—

“I was amazed to not see Ritsu tear you limb for limb at the sight and scent of your blood, that boy doesn’t have the virtue of patience—ah, but that’s not a flaw of his,” He sounds overly, dramatically proud while talking about Ritsu. “He would not let anyone else even touch you, no one else could come near you, besides him. Ritsu, as precious as he may be, tends to be stubborn sometimes.”

The vampire smiles fondly, reaching out to touch Ritsu’s head that’s visible from under the blanket, but stops and chuckles when Ritsu cuddles closer against Mao’s thighs. “So stubborn…”

Mao thinks it’s kind of weird that these vampires seem almost like normal people. He quickly tells himself that they are very much not normal or even human—this is the same vampire who cornered him and made him fear for his life within seconds, but that presence he felt before is entirely gone. There’s no malice, no bloodlust, it feels almost kind of… content.

“So, now you know why you’re here. We obviously couldn’t have taken you back to where you came from by ourselves, and we didn’t discover your hidden cell phone until you were here. Your life was the top priority, of course.” He does that weird, all-knowing, warm smile again and then claps his hands suddenly, making Mao flinch.

“Ah, that’s right. I have no manners, forgive an old man’s ramblings, introducing myself slipped my mind. I’m Rei, residential vampire king. Welcome to our home. I’m sure you have many questions about us, Isara Mao-kun.”

Questions? Mao has no idea where to begin, honestly. And the questions he has—he’s not sure if he wants to hear the answers to them.

First of all, “How do you know my name already?”

“My black magical powers, I know everything. That, and we checked your phone… Don’t be afraid.” Rei adds as an afterthought. Mao can’t help but to let out a small laugh in half-delirium, half-disbelief, how can he not be afraid right now?

“Where am I.”

“A mansion, somewhere deep along the mountain side.” So this is the mansion Ritsu has mentioned once before, a safe house, Mao guesses.

“How many other vampires are here?”

“Many, this is a haven for them when they have nowhere else to go. We have a human, too.”

“They’re all your children?”

“In some way, yes and no. I’ve raised some, while some are precious, lifelong companions of mine. Ritsu is my dear brother.”

If they are blood brothers, which is only a little bit less rare that the twin vampires, their personalities are completely different. Rei is sharp, a blank slate with unreadable intentions, even Mao can see that and this is the first time talking to this guy. Ritsu is more expressive and seems short-tempered, Mao saw that the second time they’ve met.

At least Rei seems to have some bit of patience with talking to Mao. But it makes sense, because from what Mao has seen, their faces are nearly identical. Ritsu has the softer features, and without asking Mao can tell he’s the younger brother. Maybe that’s part of the reason he comes off as a spoiled brat. It makes a little more sense now.

Mao nods, closing his eyes and leaning back into bed. He doesn’t know what else to ask.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked yet, but just for the sake of clarification—We don’t kill humans. We feed on livestock as well as willing, consenting humans only. Most of our… needs come from blood banks from overseas, the connection I have over there allows us to sustain ourselves efficiently.”

“Huh?” It’s all Mao can say, really.

“That being said, while you’re here, no one will try to harm you. Also, I have decided to keep you here as a hostage.”

 _Great_ , he’s not going to be farmed for blood, or a slave, but being a hostage doesn’t work to be in his favor either. Well, at least he doesn’t have to be worried about being killed. Or so he hopes, he doesn’t know why he even trusts the words coming from the vampire for a second—perfect, now he’s convinced himself for sure, they’re just trying to make him comfortable before they slaughter him, he is going to die here.

As a hostage, he’s sure he doesn’t have much value. Maybe he’s worth saving to his unit or even Keito, but they’re already so preoccupied. That, and he’s probably already presumed dead by now, so he immediately gives up hope on being rescued.

“Hostages are not my style at all,” Rei shrugs with a sigh. “But we cannot take any chances with you. I believe you are the one we have been waiting for, a fortune.”

“What—“

“I believe I’ve confused you enough for one evening, it will all explain itself it due time. You need to rest. Just know, that for as long as you are here, you’re safe with us. You’re an important guest of ours, and will be treated like our own.”

He pats Mao’s shoulder and Mao flinches away.

“It’s completely understandable, I bet you’ve never seen anything like that before, our first meeting.” He smiles knowingly, and then stands from the chair, stretching his back.

“The twins will be to your aid, don’t be afraid to ask them of anything while you’re recovering, they’re very helpful and energetic. I’ll send them back up here with food in a bit. Rest well, Mao-kun.” He smiles once more before all but disappearing from the room, a small amount of black fog left where he was standing.

 _Huh_.

So, this is all the vampire sleeping next to him’s fault. At this point, Mao really regrets not killing him in the first place. He wants to physically kick him from the futon, but no matter what he can’t be that cruel to someone defenseless, so he shakes him, hard. What’s up with this guy always sleeping, anyway?

"How long have i been here, answer me." He's not afraid to ask Ritsu the same questions he was wary of asking Rei, more like demands, but he can't help it at this point due to their previous encounters—he didn't dare to speak to Rei with this tone, he notices.

"Ungrateful Maa-kun, that idiot Anija would have killed you if it wasn't for me."

"I didn't ask you to help me."

"I never go out of my way to help others, so you can be a little more thankful..." He sits up and immediately slouches over, even sitting up is too much work for this guy.

"Aaah... we’re uneven now. You let me go, I let you go, then I save you, well, at least I'm not indebted to you. you owe me ok?"

" _No,_ not really, but _whatever_." Mao feels himself start to sulk, this _sucks_ , with no way out and scarce energy, he really has no other choice right now. He's tired and sore and being held against his will against hopefully non-lethal vampires.

It’s too much to comprehend.

"So, did he tell you?" Ritsu glances up at him, the lower half of his face barely lifted from the pillow making his voice a little muffled, but since the room is silent, Mao can hear perfectly.

"Uh—" Mao doesn't have a clue to what part about all this he could be referring to.

"Well, since Anija is a snake and never gets to the point... You're being used as a bargaining chip."

"Bargaining... Of what, exactly."

“We are going for an alliance. Or, a pact at the least, with Ecchan. I don't know why, when we really should just get rid of all you humans, weak and nothing but troublemakers.”

Mao glares at him, somewhat offended, but that seems to please Ritsu because he smiles in response.

"And who's Ecchan? You mean Eichi Tenshouin?" A nickname, Mao guesses the vampire just gives everyone a nickname, and he feels so relieved upon realizing—he has a nickname as well, and not from the vampire being able to read his repressed childhood memories.

"Mhm, Ecchan the emperor." Eichi’s notorious title, Mao is surprised that they refer to him as that instead of something else, something more sinister. It’s known that vampires know what Eichi is capable of.

The leader of the council, head vampire slayer and all-around ruthless. Mao wants to laugh at such a cutesy nickname as “Ecchan”, and Tenshouin would probably kill Ritsu on the spot if he heard him say it.

Mao sighs at the thought, Ritsu and all these other vampires seem to have no fear of him or just don’t care that they’re holding one of the council’s allies as a hostage.

Ritsu stretches and yawns.

His mouth opens wide, and one glance at Ritsu's fangs make him flinch, remembering exactly where he's at and who he is currently under the care of. Ritsu notices this, of course.

"Why did you flinch? I'm not going to hurt you." His voice trails off into another yawn but he covers his mouth this time with his hand.

"Your fangs."

"I'm a vampire."

"I know, obviously man... It’s still rude to yawn and not cover your mouth." He already knows that this vampire doesn’t have any manners.

"Don’t nag when you just got here... They're cool, yeah?" He smiles wide, Mao swears he can see a gleam on such a sharp canine tooth, even in the darkness of the room.

"No, they freak me out."

"Oh? It's not that, you're... afraid of sharp things."

"Huh?" Mao really wasn’t trying to give his only weakness away, his one fear, that the vampire easily guessed first try.

"Heh, I can feel it, the strong emotion of detest, you're afraid of my fangs, are you not?"

"I'm not afraid, but I don't particularly like sharp things, not a lot of humans do.”

Ritsu points an accusatory finger. “But you carry a machete around with you? Hey, you know, even if you chopped my head off with that thing it would just grow back.”

“Eh? Vampires can't—I've never seen that, can you all do that?"

"No, just me because I'm very powerful, praise me Maa~kun." He says it in such a cutesy voice that Mao can’t help but to cringe.

"No—"

"Why not? Don’t you think, if you sweet talked me a little, asked cutely, just maybe I’d let you escape?"

Mao doesn't respond and he just closes his eyes and lays back down. He may have lost his pride and dignity for the things he’s done within the council, but it’s still in tact enough not to do that.

There’s not a chance in hell he’d give in that easily to these cocky vampire bastards.

He guesses he'll just have to get used to it, he's always been good at adapting to situations anyway, no matter how annoyed he is.

\- - -

Mao is the hostage. He's the one who should be watched at all times in this situation, but it's the opposite and he seems to be the one babysitting Ritsu.

Ritsu isn't... all that bad, if he’s being honest.

He sleeps majority of the day and doesn’t do pretty much anything else, so Mao is pretty much alone all the time. It’s boring, he reads through a stack of books in the corner of the room that have obviously never been touched before and he sleeps when his leg starts to hurt—he sleeps a lot more than he has since before entering the council.

Because of this and the fact that the room is always dark, he actually has no idea what time of day it is and it’s hard to tell how long he’s been here.

The twins visit him once a day. They’ve brought him a toothbrush and some other necessities. They tell him to cheer up and put a smile on, Mao usually just ignores them when they tell him that. They’re too lively and energetic for a place like this, it’s almost refreshing seeing them when they show up at random times. It’s better than sitting in near silence, other than the quiet snores from Ritsu occasionally.

They give him food for the day, which is surprisingly good for a place where food isn’t needed by the creatures that live here.

It reminds him that Rei did say that there is another human in this place. A nurse, but a _residential_ _human_ , probably brainwashed or a prisoner here. Mao wants to go see them and maybe they’ll want to break out of here too, and they can work together. Mao has to figure out how to get Ritsu to leave this room.

Mao realizes that the reason why Ritsu is so sleepy has to be because he doesn't drink blood from humans. It only makes sense for him to be so lethargic all the time, from the little vampire anatomy he does know.

All of the compound vampires—how ever many that may be he still doesn’t know for sure yet—don't drink from live humans. Mao learns that it really is the truth, and Rei wasn’t lying just to deceive him when the twins drop off a red colored bag along with Mao’s meal and tell him it’s for Ritsu.

A red bag with no labels. A bag of human blood.

He doesn’t want to look at it anymore, so he picks it up and drops it on Ritsu’s head in an attempt to wake him up, but immediately regrets it from the _squelching_ noise it made while plopping against the vampire’s skin on his cheek.

Ritsu startles with a growl and baring his teeth, it reminds Mao of an angry cat and he has to stifle a laugh. But Ritsu picks it up, sits up and tries to hand it back to Mao, his eyes half closed.

“I don’t want that.” Mao tries to swat his hand away from him but Ritsu whines.

“No... the straw...You owe me for waking me up.” He mumbles.

Mao does remember seeing a little plastic thing on the tray the twins gave him so he begrudgingly retrieves it, and then hands it to Ritsu. He shakes his head on top of his pillow, stuffing his face into it.

“You’re supposed to open it for me, Maa-kun.”

“What would you do if I wasn’t here? Can’t even open your own food, how lazy are you?” Mao scolds but it’s not harsh like he intended. He learning, he’s gained some patience in dealing with Ritsu, who really is just immature—even more childish than his little sister. He knows that’s it’s easier to deal with if you’re just a little nice to them.

Reluctantly he takes it, unwraps the plastic and pokes the straw in it, he’s only mildly disgusted by doing so— it’s cold, human blood.

“Thank you for the meal,” Ritsu takes it, and sips out of it just like a juice box. It’s so funny to Mao, now Ritsu really looks like a child that he is babysitting. Mao can’t help it thought, he’s always had a caretaker nature so it hasn't been hard to get along with Ritsu, who needs constant care when he’s awake—unless he tries to wake Ritsu up, which he learned its something he must not do if he wants to make it out of here in alive.

Mao starts getting suspicious that taking care of Ritsu is the real reason he’s being held hostage by Rei. He still has so many questions, but it's hard to talk to anyone when he's awake. He’s wary of asking the twins questions because they’ll more than likely report back to Rei, more trouble he doesn’t need.

So, since he has nothing better to do, he changes his sleep schedule so he's awake during the few hours Ritsu is.

It’s not easy, because of the council he’s been on a strict sleep schedule for years, but it’s necessary. He stays awake until his eyes force themselves to close, and then he oversleeps. It takes him four nights—is what he assumes is evening since they’re all nocturnal.

He opens his eyes after a nap and is met with Ritsu staring at him, closely, and he continues staring even after Mao wakes up.

“Why are you looking at me like that!” He says a little too loud, a little too nervously.

“Watching over you as you sleep. I do it every night.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Why?”

“It’s creepy,” As if that is a concern to Ritsu.

Ritsu deadpans. “But I have to since I’m in charge of you. Why are you awake now anyway?”

Mao wants to tell him that it is a joke, Ritsu being in charge of Mao, but he remembers— he trying to get Ritsu to let him leave the room. Remembers, if he asked cutely...

“It’s lonely during the day, I want to talk with you.”  
It’s not a lie, technically, and he feels bad for some reason for hiding his true intentions.

Ritsu smiles, not even trying to hide that he’s been waiting for this. “With me? Really?”

“Yeah.” Mao bites out.

“Well, you can ask me anything. Ah... but I get sleepy when I talk for a while...”

Mao has so many questions he’s not sure where to begin. “Where exactly are we right now? Is it west of the city or—“

“It’s a secret.”

It was worth a shot. “How many other vampires are here?”

“Not sure, 20 give or take?”

“How do you not know when you live here... Is this place that big?”

“It’s big, but I’m not sure because I’m never here.” Mao remembers he said that once before, why he’s always lurking around the city.

“Why do you hate this place so much...”

“Anija.” It’s all Ritsu says and Mao decides to leave that topic of their relationship alone, he’s not sure if he wants to hear all that.

“What is he planning to do with me? He said, something about how I’m a fortune and I’ve been expected here...”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want my blood, like at all?”

Ritsu’s eyes narrow. “Are you offering?”

“A-Absolutely not.” Just the fact that Ritsu didn’t say no makes him feel uneasy, but it’s better than him actually saying yes, he guesses.

Ritsu hums and turns on his side as Mao tries to think of more questions. The answers he already got weren’t helpful in the least, Ritsu seems to have no idea about this place and the other vampires and it’s not comforting. Normally, Mao would think he’s lying on purpose, but he genuinely believes that Ritsu doesn’t know.

“Would you... What would I have to do for you to let me go?” Another question he’s not sure if he wants to know the answer to.

Ritsu doesn’t respond immediately and Mao tries to not let his nerves bother him. It must be terrible because this is the first time Ritsu has hesitated.

“Please, I’ll do anything.” It comes out desperately but it’s true at this point— he would do anything if that meant he can return where he belongs.

No answer. “Ritsu...”

Mao thinks he hears something, so he gets closer to Ritsu on the bed. “Hey, Ritsu—“

Ritsu is sound asleep and Mao wants to punch himself in the face, he can’t believe he had the nerve to say something like that, for nothing.

He sighs, closing his eyes and laying back down next to Ritsu, guessing he’ll save it for another time.

\- - -

He wakes up the next morning—or evening, he doesn’t know, and Ritsu is still passed out, wrapped up in their supposedly shared blanket, hogging it all to himself.

Mao scoffs, Ritsu isn’t a good host at all, why did Mao have to get taken in by Ritsu, of all vampires. It makes him think, what could the other vampires that live here be like? Are they like Ritsu? The twins? Or are they more like Rei? He actually hopes it’s the former, but it also gives him an idea.

It doesn’t matter if the others know that he’s here or not—these vampires are underestimating him. All of them, including Rei, because they leave him in an unlocked room, with someone who sleeps twenty or more hours a day. A heavy sleeper at that, to guard him, they didn't even shackle him or chain him to something or anything once the whole time he’s been here.

So, Mao decides that he is going to try to escape while Ritsu is asleep.

He grabs the corner and shakes Ritsu’s pillow a bit and doesn’t get a response. If he has a chance, if he could try and then...maybe fake a story about an emergency illness and needed to see Rei about it if he gets caught—a solid plan that hopefully won’t get him in too much trouble.

He gets up slowly, putting on his slippers and toeing silently to the door. Opening it silently, he feels like this is a trap he’s too easily walking into.

He doesn't even make it ten steps past the door before Ritsu, who he didn’t even hear open the door and take a step, probably because he used his powers instead, has him pinned down on his back, hard grips on his wrists, to the ground.

Ritsu is surely awake now and his eyes are damn near blazing red.

Mao thinks _oh, yeah, he fucked up, badly_. They may be nice and have a harmless front, but they're still vampires. Monsters with extreme power and they won't hesitate to kill.

But, Ritsu leans a little closer to his face, staring deep into his eyes. The tone of his voice is soft and considerably throws Mao off.

"Where did you think you were going?" He asks quietly as concern laces through his features, eyebrows upturned. Almost, he looks disappointed. Mao doesn't like that look at all, he doesn’t like disappointing anyone.

So he sighs, relaxes under Ritsu's hold on his wrists, it’s not like he has a chance to get out of his grip anyway. "Can you blame me though?"

"Well, no, not really but, it's for your own safety."

Ritsu is probably right.

Mao is unarmed. Although he was promised that no one would hurt him, that doesn't mean if he tried to get out he wouldn't be hunted down immediately, as it would be necessary because he could relay information right back to their enemies, so they would not let him get out alive.

He doesn't even know his way back home yet, or where the hell even really located. If he were to make a move he'd have to really plan and think about it, an escape route and a weapon would be needed.

He’s also injured, and has been practically bed-written all this time and he’s not sure if he's even able to run at top physical condition, the stitches haven’t been taken out of his leg yet.

He didn’t have a chance since the very beginning. They knew this, so they didn’t take precautions or even worry about it in the slightest, and he knows it.

He feels dumb for even attempting and acting on an impulse— which is something he rarely does, but what else can he do?

"It took you long enough to try, though. I thought you were gonna be a good boy, Maa-kun." Ritsu scoffs, condensing, and Mao feels his blood starting to boil beneath his skin. Of course Ritsu would rub it in, he’s never felt so worthless and powerless in his entire life.

“But don’t do that again, promise? You’re safe with me, only. I really don't want anyone else to kill you."

"Anyone else..." Mao repeats his words.

“That's right. If anyone has to, it's going to be me. I wouldn’t want to hurt you, I’d make it quick and painless." Ritsu smiles. Not a smirk, not like he’s looking down on Mao, but a soft, genuine smile.

The words do not comfort him, but he doesn’t feel like he’s in danger or threatened at all any longer. The teasing lilt of Ritsu’s voice makes it hard to take him seriously, though.

Mao doesn’t say anything, he isn't in a position to say anything about it. If he gets killed getting out of here it’s fine, if that is his fate, then so be it.

With that in mind, that Ritsu would want to be the one to kill him and put him out of his misery, then it’s a condolence that makes him decide, this won’t be the only time he’ll attempt to escape from here.

"Or... unless Maa-kun just wants to be chained up in my room, or maybe by his wrists to the headboard of my bed, or do you prefer to be tied up with rope?"

Ritsu sits back on his heels, no longer mounted on top of Mao, which he now is just realizing how he was pinned down, along with that comment and tries so hard not to blush. Instead, he feels his face start to burn, embarrassed. But he doesn't let go of Mao’s wrists.

“I’m joking.~”

“You’re not.”

“Maybe... I should keep you chained in my room, incase anyone else finds you in here... they’ll want you for themselves for sure.”

To secretly drink his blood probably, "Well, I guess I gotta be careful, then."

Ritsu hums. "Not really. No one here would willingly attack you, you know. Unless it’s a command. So...if you ever wanna explore this awful place." Ritsu leans down, laying his head on Mao's belly and yawning, he curls up on top of him, a less effective way to pin Mao down. Mao still doesn't try to get up.

Easier than expected, he didn’t even have to ask, Ritsu is giving him the chance to find the other human in here, letting him leave the room and find out how many others there are, his true enemies he’ll have to scout out.

Mao breathes. Finally, finally something seems to be working in his favor. Even if Ritsu doesn’t know it yet, he’s on Mao’s side.

The only person who can get him out of here, even though Mao knows he will end up completely betraying his trust— if Ritsu even trusts him, that is— is the same vampire he had his first life or death experience with.

It reminds him of another question he didn’t think of asking Ritsu earlier.

"Why did you let me go the first night we met?"

Ritsu huffs, annoyed. "You're an idiot, why even question it.”

“I just want to know.”

“I wouldn't have minded being killed by you, you know. Why did you let me go, then?”

“I... I don't know.”

“Then there's your answer.”

Ritsu looks up at him with his eyes slightly narrowed, sleepily, like in his natural state, but still alert.

“If I would have known that I’d end up like this, I would have let you kill me in the first place.” Mao laughs a little bit, it feels weird saying something like that and seeming like he’s given up, he’s showing a weakness to Ritsu.

“A human that’s ungrateful for their life, huh,”

“It’s not like—“

“I was never going to kill you in the first place, Maa-kun. Now, come on, let’s go take a nap and I’ll try to forget that this happened, ok?”

Ritsu offers a hand to help him up, which he takes. It sounds nice, taking a nap after this, but he won’t be able to forget what happened today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa sup I’m really late with this but happy holidays aaaaaaa i will regularly update this after reworking the whole plot i hope this chapter wasn’t too uneventful.... ty for readin <3

**Author's Note:**

> SO hello uhhh this is my first time writing a multichapter fic in a very long time i hope i don't disappoint. rating will gradually go up, and updates will hopefully be monthly. comments and kudos are always appreciated and give me the motivation and inspiration


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